The Shikabane Hime of DaiRin House
by Dark Akuma Hunter
Summary: Miyako grew up in the Dai-Rin House with Ouri. After certain events she ends up dead, but the dead don't like to stay dead, even ones who grew up around temples. Spoilers for ep 11, 12, 13 of AKA in the anime and KURO as well
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, so if you haven't finished watching Corpse Princess AKA then you might not want to read this, because it spoils the ending. I'm not sure whereabouts that comes about in the manga so... I'm not sure about that.

Um I don't own Shikabane Hime, so all credit goes to whoever does.

This chapter is mostly just me working my OC into the backstory so... you don't have to pay too much attention to it.

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><p><strong>The Shikabane Hime of Dai-Rin House - Chapter 1<strong>

Miyako Yamanaka had lived in the Dai-Rin House for all of her life, for as long as she could remember. She had been there since before she was one. The only thing that Monk Tagami had known about her was her name, and with that he left her in the care of the family looking after the Dai-Rin House. There had never been anything for her to complain about, life there was all she could have asked for, considering she had never known anything else.

When she was three, Monk Tagami, also known as Keisei by those closer to him, brought a young boy to the orphanage. His name was Ouri, and he was the same age as her. There was something odd about him though which she picked up on immediately. Whenever one of the other kids tried to talk to him or play with him he would stare at them with his cold, emotionless eyes. Those eyes always scared the other kids and made them run away. Miyako, although she was only a three year old girl, knew better than to approach the Ouri who seemed so out of touch with his emotions. She simply waited, watching from afar as she played with the other children.

The change she had been waiting for occurred when one day Ouri brought a small kitten back to the orphanage one stormy night a year later. The kitten appeared to be partially drowned, and he seemed genuinely concerned about the poor thing. Keisei and Riko, the woman in charge of the Dai-Rin House, had a small argument about whether or not to let Ouri keep the drenched thing. Miyako had been watching from the kitchen when they finally agreed to let him keep the black kitten. He had been so happy, it was the most emotion the young girl had ever seen him express.

After that day he spent almost all of his time trying to look after that kitten. Miyako watched with interest as his clumsy nature got in the way, yet he never gave up. He put all his effort into caring for the dark coloured kitten, and she slowly managed to get closer to the boy as she attempted to help him care for the creature. She hadn't expected him to let her, but to her utmost surprise the young boy had opened up and let her assist him. As they helped the cat grow they became friends, slowly but surely, and it was all because of that cat. He had managed to reach out to the emotion in Ouri's heart and for that she was thankful. The cat had given her the opportunity to get to know the boy she had been watching from afar since he had arrived in her life.

One day something terrible happened that would once again change the course of their lives. The cat they had spent so much time looking after was hit by a car outside the orphanage. When Miyako saw the lifeless corpse she had fallen to her knees on the dirt and cried her eyes out. Keisei had heard her crying and came out to see what was wrong. Ouri came with him, having finally made a human friend. She clung to Keisei's leg and bawled her eyes out as he patted her comfortingly on the head while the young boy had merely stared out at the dead cat with that familiar cold look. He didn't shed a tear.

Keisei, whom they both thought of as a brother, said that they would hold a small funeral for the cat. When he went back out to collect the ruined lifeless body of the unfortunate creature it had disappeared, and both Miyako and Keisei knew what had happened. Ouri had taken the cats body, refusing to believe in the fact that its life had ended. She had seen the look in his eyes and she knew it was the truth. Unfortunately for her Keisei wouldn't let her come with him when he went out to find Ouri. She had sat in front of the Dai-Rin house for hours waiting for the two of them to come back, and when they finally did her and Ouri cried together out in the dark until Keisei came and dragged them inside.

That cat had been THE turning point in Miyako's life. Ouri had finally rediscovered his emotions, and she had finally worked up the courage to approach him. The death of the cat changed him a bit, and once or twice he had insisted that he could see the cat. She had originally thought he was just imagining it, but once she thought she may have seen him too. Even after that event she hadn't been naïve enough to bring it up to Riko or Keisei, for she knew they wouldn't believe her, just as they hadn't believed Ouri.

Sometime after that phase of potential hallucinations the two of them began noticing that Keisei would sometimes show up injured. The kids at the Dai-Rin House who had been their age had all left and the younger kids didn't seem to notice it. Miyako knew better than to ask him about it, but she always went with Ouri when he demanded answers, just in case he actually told them the truth. Keisei always lied to them about his injuries; either that or he would avoid answering the serious questions and laugh them off. Ouri never gave up though. Every single time Keisei turned up injured the two of them would hunt him down.

Miyako and Ouri went to the same school and were in the same class. They walked to school together in the mornings and they walked home again in the afternoons. She was pleased enough with the arrangements, although some of Ouri's school friends bugged her. She had a rather sharp sense of hearing, and she could always hear Hiroshige hassling Ouri about her during class. He never came out and said anything to her face, which she found odd since he often ended up doing that sort of thing with all the other girls.

One day Ouri saw something he wasn't supposed to. He had been in the temple, probably looking for Keisei, when he found what had appeared to be the torn up body of a dead teenage girl. He had even checked, making sure she was definitely dead. The fact that she was dead didn't creep him out or scare him in the slightest. When he heard footsteps and voices however he was forced to hide behind the giant Buddha statue in the room. Keisei had been there, injured again. Ouri had watched in wonder as Keisei had picked the corpse up in his arms and practically breathed life back into her. Again Ouri felt no real sense of fear. Yes, he was confused, but if he was confused he could always talk things over with Miyako, because she always listened and didn't judge him on what he told her. Once the monks had left Ouri had run back to the Dai-Rin House to look for Miyako, to tell her not only about the moving corpse, but to tell her that he had seen the cat again for the first time in a long time.

Miyako had listened intently to his story, storing away her judgements inside her mind where they wouldn't hurt her friend. The cat apparition she knew was more than likely true, since she herself had seen the cat just before Ouri had found her, almost as though it had been showing him the way. She was more sceptical about the living corpse story though. Death was supposed to be final and absolute, and she didn't believe that the anime girl obsessed monk Keisei could have that sort of power over life and death. Then she began to ask herself, what if he only had that power over one particular individual? But she quickly shunned that line of thought, bringing her attention back to Ouri who had been watching her silently as she thought things over. The cat she quickly agreed to, although she never once admitted to her own sightings of it. Living corpses though. The idea was at the same time fascinating and repulsive. She chose to remain silent in that regard, not telling Ouri what she thought about what he had supposedly witnessed. It was just too unrealistic to her, even though she knew the cat wasn't a real cat, since it could walk through things and other people couldn't see it. That cat really did mystify her.

When Ouri decided to move out and go live on his own Miyako was devastated. She herself had no such intentions for moving out so soon. The younger kids looked up to the two of them as their older siblings in the same way they both looked up to Keisei, and they wouldn't be able to cope if both of them left. She had a part time job, but she was saving that money up for later when she would have to move out. Ouri was working two jobs just to be able to afford his new place. She was afraid that the stress would be too much for him, although she never said as much out loud. On the day he was packing up to leave Keisei attempted to frame him for possession of heaps of adult magazines that obviously belonged to the monk himself. At Ouri's protests of innocence Miyako laughed so hard she cried, although she had been going to cry anyway. She really didn't want him to leave, even if they would still be going to the same school. It was going to be lonely without him around, and she had a feeling that questioning Keisei about his injuries was about to become her responsibility. When she had started crying Keisei had given her a pat on the head like he used to when she was upset. The younger kids had seen her outburst and they all piled on her, asking if she was okay and if they should force Ouri to stay. When they decided she was okay they went back to calling Ouri a pervert as Keisei shoved the magazines on him.

After Ouri left Miyako's life became quieter. She had no real affections or attachments towards the other kids at the Dai-Rin House, no matter how much her outward appearance may have contradicted that. She was lonely, and Keisei was coming back injured even more often than before. Her interrogations had ended almost as quickly as they started, and she decided not to tell Ouri about it when Keisei was injured, out of fear that he would start stressing out about it. Miyako could no longer walk to and from school with Ouri, and sometimes Hiroshige would walk with her. That boy had never been high on her list of favourite people, because he was annoying, girl crazy, and almost as much of a pervert as Keisei was, if not more. Not that Hiroshige ever did anything to her, or even said anything to her. Maybe he was just being respectful since her and Ouri were so close. He didn't often say sleazy things to Mizuki either, so maybe it was the girls in their little group that he actually managed to find some respect for.

Not long after his move Ouri started acting strangely. He insisted that he had seen the corpse girl several more times since the temple. Miyako still didn't believe him. If he had seen her again didn't that just mean she hadn't been dead in the first place? Nothing about what he was saying was making sense, so she wasn't surprised when Ouri began confronting Keisei about one thing or another without her. Maybe he had sensed that she had doubts about what he was saying, and for some reason he thought that Keisei would tell him. Keisei didn't tell him anything though, not as far as Miyako knew.

New people were popping up everywhere. They had a new student and a new teacher. Itsuki, the new student, was in their class, and Hiroshige immediately started saying weird stuff about her that made Miyako turn in her seat to glare at him. He didn't know she had such good hearing, so he just assumed that she knew him well enough to know what he was talking about in general. That wasn't the case, but she wasn't about to set him straight about it. Miyako felt there was something odd about the new additions to the school though, they just didn't feel right. She didn't know how to explain it, and she didn't want to talk to Ouri about it in case he decided not to listen like she had chosen not to believe him when he told her about his encounters with the living corpse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

The night that changed her life forever was arriving sooner than she would have liked. Miyako had chosen to sleep with all the younger kids that night at the Dai-Rin House, since they had been begging her to for weeks. She had her own room, but she knew it wouldn't hurt to let them have their way once in a while. She didn't sleep though; she had been doing homework by the light of the moon.

Something was going on. She could hear loud noises like gun shots mixed in with voices, and she immediately knew they were close. Climbing to her feet she crept over to the window and peered out from behind the curtain. What she saw was definitely not what she had expected to see. There was a fight going on outside, between some insane creature that kept changing its form and a teenage girl with several guns. Miyako knew then that what she was seeing was Ouri's phantom dead girl that he had told her about. She felt stupid for not believing him, and she was only mildly surprised when the cat showed up and confirmed what she had already guessed was the truth.

She heard voices out in the hallway. Keisei's voice and someone she didn't know. She wanted to go and see him, but something inside her told her that she wouldn't be able to use the door. With only one other option she climbed out the window as quietly as she could. Her actions weren't fast enough though, for she heard the sound of Keisei screaming. Something had happened to him, and she ran to the front door, avoiding rogue gunfire and ignoring the shouts of the girl. Opening the door she saw Keisei collapsed on the ground and Ouri standing over him. The other man standing before her had yet to notice her presence and she took advantage of that to aim a kick at his gut. He noticed at the last second and slammed her into the wall instead.

"Let me go!" She cried out, scratching at his hands in an attempt to break free.

"Interesting. You came here of your own free will. You're not shikabane or shikabane hime. What a strange girl." His words were teasing, his voice cold. She lashed out, kicking him in the ribs with her bare foot, making him let go. She crashed to the floor and ran over to Keisei and Ouri. No sooner had she reached them when the other girl came crashing through the wall to land in front of them. She glanced back at them, and when her eyes landed on Keisei they filled with fear and anger.

"Ouri, what happened to him?" She asked angrily, gaze drifting to Miyako for a moment before latching on Keisei. Ouri couldn't string together an entire sentence, let alone answer her question, and Miyako had no clue what had happened either.

Keisei reached out and grabbed onto Ouri's hand before muttering something that Miyako couldn't make out over the sound of her heartbeat and the crashes outside. Apparently it was something important though. Whatever Ouri agreed to he then passed out. Miyako was torn between the two most important people in her life, but the corpse girl seemed to be taking Keisei's imminent demise just as badly as she was. Making up her mind she crawled over to Ouri's unconscious body and held his hand as she tried not to cry. Keisei was talking again, but she still couldn't hear anything, and she felt that it was probably something private. The girl held his hand and smiled at him, and at that point Miyako could no longer hold back her tears. She knew he was dying, she knew he was going to leave that night, but she didn't want him to go. As the tears streamed down her face she saw the life leave him, and she saw the tears on the purple haired girl's own smiling face. The girl's eyes were angry, and Miyako had a feeling that the other girl was about to lose it. Unfortunately Miyako wasn't going to get to find out what happened after that, because the stress of the moment was too much for her and she passed out, falling next to Ouri on the floor.

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><p>When Miyako woke up again she was in her own bed and the sun was streaming in from the window. Her head hurt and her cheeks were damp, for she had been crying even in her unconscious state. She knew she was dehydrated, but for the moment she didn't care. All she wanted to do was find out what had happened after she had passed out. No-one was in her room, and as she climbed out of bed she noticed that she wasn't wearing her blood-stained pyjamas from that night, which made her curious as to how long she had actually been out for. Everything came rushing back to her and she felt like crying again, but she had no tears left, she had cried herself out.<p>

"Riko?" She called hesitantly from her doorway, not sure if she trusted herself to walk to far into the Dai-Rin House.

"Miyako, are you awake?" Riko's voice sounded strained, as though she too had been crying for a long time. When the older woman rounded the corner Miyako noticed she was dressed in her temple clothes and her expression turned darker.

"It's today isn't it?" She knew that Riko almost never wore those clothes, so the only explanation was that it was time for Keisei's funeral service. Backing up a step she closed the door to her room, ignoring anything else Riko had to say to her. She walked over to the window and closed the curtains as well. Digging around in her closet she found her good black dress and threw it on her bed, getting on her knees in order to find some shoes to go with it. She didn't have any nice shoes that would be appropriate for a funeral, so she found her black canvas shoes and grabbed them. It was the best she could find.

As she changed into her dress she noticed that she had some tiny flecks of red under her nails and she cringed, knowing it was his blood. There was nothing she could do about it just then though, so she tried to ignore it. Sitting down on her bed she put on the shoes and grabbed her hairbrush, running it quickly through her waist length jet black hair before letting it fall back on her back. She couldn't be bothered finding anything to tie it up with like she usually would have.

Climbing to her feet she opened her door again and walked through the house, heading towards the temple next door. Her guess had been right, there were people everywhere. What she really wanted was to find Ouri and tell him that she believed him and she was sorry, but she knew that particular fact would be pointless in the face of Keisei's death. As she walked she saw Riko again, but she didn't stop to talk to her this time, not interested in anything the woman had to say to her and not wanting to get dragged into any sympathy speech from someone she didn't know.

Her hair swung in front of her face as she walked, shielding her from the stares of people in all directions. What she really wanted to do was run away, she didn't want to go to the service, but she knew she had to. If she didn't go she would never forgive herself, and Ouri would probably hate her too.

"Hey, is that…" She heard a familiar voice whispering, but she didn't feel like trying to find them.

"It is isn't it? Miyako!" She jumped, looking up and spinning around.

"Hey, don't do that." Someone was telling off the first speaker. She smiled weakly when she recognised the voices. It was Hiroshige and Mizuki. Her feet started moving her in the direction their voices were coming from, and as she walked her eyes drifted until they landed on Ouri. He was standing on the street outside the temple with a monk and a young girl. It confused her as to why the monk would want to talk off temple grounds instead of inside them, but that wasn't exactly high on her list of things she wanted to know.

She pushed herself up onto the bench that Mizuki, Hiroshige and Sumitori were standing behind and watched Ouri and the monk talk. With her sharp hearing she decided to do a little bit of eavesdropping. Normally she would never eavesdrop on Ouri, but this was a necessary thing to do. The monk had the same robes as Keisei did, meaning he was also from the Kōgon Sect, and she wanted to know why he wasn't coming inside the temple. The little information she had managed to glean from listening to the other guests was that the other monks from the Kōgon Sect had held their own little funeral service earlier, so why he was only there now was beyond her.

As soon as she heard the words 'Shikabane Hime' she quickly stopped listening. That was a topic that was private, and also one she had no interest in. Turning her dark gaze on Hiroshige she stared emotionlessly at him and watched him squirm. He was obviously regretting calling out to her now, it was a funeral after all; one for someone Miyako had looked up to as a brother. It wasn't the best time for socialising, even if it was one of the only times she wasn't around Ouri.

Riko walked over to the benches and Miyako glared at her. The older woman had almost caused her to miss the funeral because she didn't try hard enough to wake up her up. The funeral… Miyako's eyes clouded over in grief. She couldn't cry anymore because she was dehydrated, but it wouldn't stop her from feeling sad. Keisei had been her only 'family' and Ouri was her only real friend. Now with Keisei gone and Ouri living elsewhere she was all alone. Outwardly she still had Riko, the kids, Hiroshige, Mizuki and Sumitori, but inside, in the absolute reality of herself, she had no-one.

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><p>After the funeral was over Miyako refused to talk to anyone. She would have talked to Ouri, but he didn't seem to want to talk to her. In her grief she wandered aimlessly around the temple trying to avoid having to talk to or listen to people trying to offer her sympathetic words and condolences. She couldn't cope with all their lies and half-truths at that moment in time. The temple was just too crowded, people weren't leaving and they were everywhere, hovering to talk to Riko or other people.<p>

Sighing in frustration she brushed some hair behind her ear, twitched her dress back so that it was hanging perfectly straight and wandered outside with the intent of going for a walk. She needed fresh air and time alone to try and clear her mind. Walking with no real purpose she ended up outside a convenience store. With no intent or aim she headed inside.

Miyako didn't buy anything; she just stared at some things to waste away some time before she felt calm enough to head back to the temple and the Dai-Rin House. People on the streets whispered when they saw her in her funeral clothes, and she balled her hands into fists at her sides. Since she was trying as hard as she could not to listen to what they were saying about her behind her back she failed to notice that she had stepped out onto the road. A motor revved and someone honked on their car horn, making her look up. She froze in terror, staring into the window of the oncoming truck. She never stood a chance.

Tires screeched on the pavement and Miyako screamed, holding her arms up in front of her face as though it would somehow save her. The people who had been gossiping were all screaming too, and it seemed like, for just a moment, the whole world was screaming. One thing flashed through her mind as the truck hit her. She regretted the fact that she had never told Ouri how she really felt about him.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm writing chapter 3 from Miyako's p.o.v, but I'm not too sure about it, so we'll see how it goes. Please review if you read this story, I need to know how much time I should put aside for this one.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Miyako's P.O.V**

I couldn't see anything; it was dark all around me. The darkness had different shades to it, and it made it hard to tell if my eyes were open or closed. It was only when I heard voices from somewhere that I realised I could barely move. Raising my arms I lifted them, palm up, until they hit something solid. They quickly dropped back to my sides. I had a pretty good feeling I knew what had happened, knew where I was. There was only one true explanation for it.

Images came flashing into my mind and I closed my eyes in shock. My body was rigid and I tried not to cry out as the memories came back to me. The whispers, the truck, the screams. That moment when the truck hit me and the life was ripped out of me. I hadn't stood a chance, and now I was in a dark enclosed space.

I was in a coffin. Surely that must be the truth, because I was certain that I had died. Opening my eyes again I concentrated, trying to figure out where the voices were coming from. They seemed far away, I was almost 100% certain that no-one was in the same room as me.

Lifting my arms once more I rested my hands against the top of my enclosure and gently pushed upwards. It resisted at first, but then it began to give, letting me lift it off. I had to close my eyes against the sudden intrusion of light since I had been in complete darkness for the last while. When my eyes adjusted to the light I shoved the lid completely off, making sure it didn't make too much noise when it hit the ground.

Sitting up I took in my surroundings. I was still inside the temple by the looks of it, so I was at least lucky enough that they hadn't buried me yet. As I climbed to my feet I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a formal black dress, similar to the one I had died in, but it was noticeably different. There was no lace, it was plainer and simpler, probably the best they could afford. But either way I was thankful for I was no longer in what I could only imagine being the tattered and torn remains of my original dress. This would just have to do. I didn't recognise the shoes I was wearing either, but they were probably Riko's. There was no sense in buying new shoes for a dead person.

That's right. Hugging my waist I climbed carefully out of the coffin, head spinning. I was dead, but I was alive. Did that make me an undead? But then I remembered what I had seen that night, and what Ouri and that Kōgon monk had been talking about. Shikabane Hime. I had seen one in action, although I didn't really know what it meant. Did all living dead get classified as Shikabane Hime? Somehow I doubted that, since that strange creature she had been fighting must surely have been dead as well.

The voices began to move, shocking me back to reality. Picking up the lid I replaced it on the coffin before running to hide behind the Buddha statue just as one of the doors opened. It was Riko, Ouri and a monk I didn't recognise. Putting the lid back on was a good choice. As I watched them I realised that Ouri and the monk could probably answer my questions and tell me what was going on, but there was no way I could approach either of them while Riko was around, it would be too much for her.

Something else flashed back to me, and I remembered that Keisei had done something to Ouri, something that involved that other Shikabane Hime. Maybe it wouldn't do me any good to ask him about it after all. He probably wouldn't be able to help me anyway. If my assumption was right then he was already… contracted? I'm not sure what word Keisei used, but whatever it was, Ouri was already involved and no matter what I do nothing will change that.

Riko was crying, Ouri was stony-faced and the monk was emotionless as he chanted sutras. I had a feeling that they would be there for a while, so I sat back down on the floor behind the statue and breathed out an impatient sigh. Riko gasped and I mentally kicked myself for making noise after I had been so careful to cover my tracks. I wasn't going to get discovered so easily though. When I was sure that no-one would come looking for me I closed my eyes, hugging my knees to my chest as I waited for them to leave.

Peeking around the edge of the Buddha I saw that only the unknown monk was still in the room. While I was debating whether to go out and talk to him he was scrutinising my coffin, apparently having noticed something that he didn't want to check out while the others were around. Much to my horror he opened the coffin, frowning when he saw that it was empty. He didn't seem surprised at all, merely annoyed, and I was suddenly extremely glad I hadn't revealed myself to him.

I ended up falling asleep while I was waiting for the monk to leave the temple. When I opened my eyes it was completely dark out. Stretching my arms above my head I looked around the room as I walked out from my hiding place. The coffin was still there, although whether that was a good thing or a bad thing I had yet to decide. Taking my shoes off I held them in one hand while I tip-toed across the room towards the side door, thankful that I couldn't hear anyone nearby.

Once I got outside however it was a different story. My footsteps were light enough that I could afford to put my shoes back on once I was out, but I could hear voices. It was Riko and Ouri, and it sounded like they were arguing. While I really wanted to go over to them and find out what was going on I knew better than to approach them. I knew I had to leave the temple and the Dai-Rin House, but surely I would need a disguise of some sort. Crouching behind a low wall I listened carefully. They were definitely the only two people I could hear talking, and they were in the opposite end of the house as my room.

Walking silently over to the Dai-Rin House I kept to the shadows, avoiding getting near windows until I found my bedroom. To my surprise the window was open, but that just made things easier for me. My bed was next to the window, which meant that I could avoid unnecessary noise entering my – the – room. I didn't have the right to call it my room anymore. Rummaging around in the drawers I found a pair of chunky tinted sunglasses, which I quickly put on to hide my eyes as well as a good portion of my face. I thought I might have had a scarf or something somewhere as well, so I tried to find that. As I opened my wardrobe doors I froze, hearing footsteps nearing the room. With no other alternative I crawled into the wardrobe and closed the doors after me, just before the bedroom door slid open.

"That's odd; I could've sworn I heard something from in here." Riko's voice was shaky as she voiced her thoughts to the supposedly empty room. Hearing her sound like that made me want to reveal myself to her. We had departed on bad terms, but even so she was like my mother and I felt truly awful for what I was putting her through. The only problem was that I was smart enough to know that showing myself would only make things worse.

While I was camped out in the closet I stumbled upon the scarf I had been looking for, which I tied around my neck before checking if the coast was clear. Thankfully Riko had left, and wasn't just sitting in my room without talking. I grabbed my wallet off the bedside table before escaping back out the window. Pulling my hair so that it hung around my face I snuck off the temple grounds and out into the street.

Once I was out I breathed a sigh of relief, I hadn't been caught or discovered, and I had managed to put together a disguise, albeit a weak one. The sky was beginning to get brighter, and I realised that I might have been asleep for longer than I had originally thought. In all honesty I knew my current outfit wasn't a good disguise, not to mention I was in a funeral dress. I needed to change.

A quick check of my wallet confirmed that I didn't have much money, most of it was in the bank, and since I was dead they wouldn't let my take any money out. That really only left one option: Pickpocketing people on the street. I wasn't a thief, but in my current situation there weren't really any other options.

Wandering through the early morning foot traffic near the shops I launched my attack. I only went for cash, since credit cards wouldn't do me any good. At one stage I thought I saw that girl from the fight, and I quickly ran away in the opposite direction. She didn't seem like the friendliest person, and Ouri had probably told her about my untimely demise. It was best to stay away from her.

I ended up collecting a far bit of money, so I wandered down to the shops, keeping my head down and my hair around my face. In the end I wound up at a second-hand store. I had a feeling the clothed might get ruined, so there was no point spending too much of the cash on expensive new clothes. Browsing through the shop I found a pair of denim shorts, a white tank top with a dragon pattern, some knock-off sneakers and a large white bag, sort of like a sports bag. I bought all of them before asking if there was a place where I could change. Slipping out the back to where the nice lady told me I could go I quickly got changed, folding up my black dress and putting it in the bag with Riko's shoes. I didn't want to throw them away, so I needed to keep them with me. Coming back out I thanked the woman, readjusted the scarf around my neck, and quietly left the store.

Standing in the now bright light of the morning sun I pulled my hat down over my eyes and leaned against the side of the shop. Adjusting to change had never been something I was particularly good at, and now I had to try to change my entire personality in order to avoid detection from my friends. Fate was on my side now, for the moment anyway, because I never spent much time in the shopping district, meaning it was extremely unlikely for me to run into someone I knew. Life was never certain though, and it was about the time most of my old classmates would head to school, so there was really no telling what would happen.

Keeping to the shadows of building overhangs I avoided making eye contact with anyone who walked past me. I wasn't watching, so I couldn't be sure, but I'm pretty sure that I heard some of the boys from my class as I walked. They were talking quietly and I didn't want to eavesdrop on them, so I made sure to move on quickly. It was stressful, hearing them talk knowing that I would never be able to join in again. My eyes brimmed with tears and I ran, one hand on my hat as I wove through the crowded streets.

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><p><strong>AN: It's funny how the story no-one's interested in reading is the one I'm having the easiest time writing. If you review I'll credit you in the next chapter I publish after your review, wouldn't you like a cookie? Tell me if you want me to go back to third person, because I'm a bit iffy about the whole first person bit in this story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I sat down on a wooden bench with my head in my hands. I'd only been outside for an hour but I was already emotionally drained. Living after death was apparently going to be harder than one might imagine. Students walked past me and I realised I was closer to the school than I had thought I was. I had been walking in a random direction, my only guideline being that I didn't go back to the Dai-Rin House.

A trio of extremely familiar voices approached where I was sitting and I realised that I was going to have to move. Climbing wearily to my feet I put the bag strap over my shoulder and started walking. My only option was to walk towards the school, since if I went the other way I was almost certain that at least one of them would recognise me. I couldn't cope with that, it would raise too many questions that I couldn't answer.

"Hey Sumitori, doesn't that girl seem sort of familiar?" I tightened my grip on my bag, silently cursing my annoyingly good hearing.

"Don't be silly Hiroshige, you've been saying that about every black haired girl we've seen since…" Mizuki stopped talking as quickly as she had started, having remembered why it was that Hiroshige was always doing that.

"That's not true." Hiroshige sounded so sad I almost stopped walking and turned around, but I managed to restrain myself.

"Mizuki stop me if I'm wrong, but I think I agree with Hiroshige this time. She really does seem familiar." I knew I was in trouble if Sumitori was agreeing with Hiroshige, Mizuki was more likely to believe Sumitori. Keeping my eyes on the pavement I pulled my hat down over my sunglasses in a feeble attempt to strengthen my disguise.

"Okay fine! If you two are so certain do you want me to go check?" Cringing I realised I was trapped. If I ran away they would know something was up, and if Mizuki recognised me my cover would be blown. Her footsteps came up behind me and I resisted the urge to look at her.

"Hey, sorry about this. Those two," She gestured behind her "think that they might know you from somewhere." I pretended to look behind me before shaking my head. I couldn't afford to speak, for that would definitely give me away.

"Are you sure? Because now that you're right in front of me I have to agree with them." Mizuki glanced down at my clothes. "Shouldn't you be headed to school now?" Lying wasn't something I was good at, and the pressure was getting to me.

"I'm sorry, I have to go now." Mentally kicking myself for speaking I started running, hat flying off from my sudden movement. One set of footsteps broke away from the others, keeping pace with me and trying fruitlessly to catch up.

"Wait up!" It was Hiroshige who was chasing me. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Turning a corner I found myself at the bottom of a long set of steps. Glancing back I saw that he was starting to catch up, so I started running up the steps. When I was about halfway I froze. The new archery teacher was standing at the top in a set of monk robes. Robes like the ones Keisei had. That meant he was part of the Kōgon Sect, but I didn't see him at the funeral.

"Takamasa we have to go. Hurry up!" A girl walked over to him, a girl I knew. It was the transfer student Itsuki. Hiroshige reached the bottom step and then I was trapped again.

"Miyako!" Itsuki and Takamasa turned in unison to look down at me. She stiffened and an odd look flashed across her face.

"What are you doing so close to a temple Shikabane?" Itsuki called down to me, voice cold and emotionless.

"I take it this is the girl the inspector informed us of, Miyako Yamanaka?" Takamasa strengthened his grip on his bow before looking past me and seeing Hiroshige hesitantly climbing the steps. I heard a meow and looked down to see the black cat at my feet.

"I don't know what you're talking about Itsuki!" I cried, waving my hand through the air in confusion and anger. "Whatever a Shikabane is I don't want to be one, I want to be a Shikabane Hime like that girl with purple hair." Itsuki glanced at Takamasa in confusion and he shrugged.

"I don't know what Makina has to do with this, but if you want to become a Shikabane Hime then we can't help you." Itsuki was absolutely serious, and as more footsteps sounded on the steps she turned and left, Takamasa following after her. Black Cat looked up at me.

"To be a Shikabane Hime you'll need to find a monk to be your contractor." I glanced down at him.

"Monk, what are you talking about? There's no way I can find one." Talking to a cat didn't feel weird at all.

"Hiroshige, you can't just go chasing after random girls." Mizuki called up to us. He was watching me with an odd look on his face as I spoke with Black Cat. He wasn't listening to her; he was only a few steps away from me now.

"If you can't find someone to be your contracted monk then you can't become a Shikabane Hime." Sighing in frustration I dropped my bag on the step next to Black Cat before taking off my sunglasses and carefully placing them on top of the bag.

"Miyako is that really you?" He whispered from behind me, making me jump. He took one more step so that he was standing on the same level as me before putting a hand on my shoulder. I tensed and turned so that I was facing him but Mizuki and Sumitori at the bottom of the steps wouldn't be able to see my face.

"I thought you were dead…" His voice cracked and shook as he spoke and I suddenly realised just how much my death must have affected them. I grabbed his wrist gently and took his hand off my shoulder.

"I am dead Hiro." In the time since Ouri had moved out I had been forced to spend more time with Hiroshige, and I ended up giving him a little nickname.

"It's not funny anymore Miyako." He didn't believe me but I hadn't expected him too.

"He'll never believe you." Black Cat interjected.

"Are you still here?" I shot back at him, rolling my eyes. I tugged on Hiro's wrist and placed his hand over my heart, ignoring the blush that coloured his cheeks. His eyes widened in shock and when I let go of his hand he grabbed my wrist.

"You won't find anything." I warned him as he tried frantically to find a pulse.

"But that's not possible!" He protested, looking desperately into my eyes. "You're heart's not beating. You should be dead." Rolling my eyes I glanced down at my feet to find that the Black Cat had disappeared. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mizuki climbing the stone steps, Sumitori not far behind her. I was running out of time, again, and my only escape now that I had lost the majority of my disguise was to go up towards the temple.

"Hiro, listen to me. You can't tell them," My gaze darted to Sumitori and Mizuki, "that you saw me. Can you do that for me Hiro?" I was begging and I hated it, it made me feel weak.

"You're dead." He was having a hard time processing it, but that wasn't surprising. Waiting nervously I stared pleadingly into his eyes.

"They won't believe you if you tell them." I pointed out; picking up my sunglasses and putting them back on.

"Okay… I promise I won't tell." Smiling weakly I hugged Hiroshige, surprising myself with my sudden display of emotion towards the boy I couldn't stand.

"Thank you." I whispered in his ear before breaking away and grabbing my bag. Slinging it over my shoulder I turned my back on them and ran up the steps, pausing once at the top to glance back down at them.

As I walked further away from them I could hear the others start talking. I would have covered my ears, only I knew that it wouldn't help to block it out. It was reassuring though, for when Mizuki questioned Hiro mercilessly about who it was he had been talking to he didn't mention me at all, not even with any vague hints. Another sad smile presented itself on my lips as I finally walked out of hearing range. At least the person who had seen me was trustworthy.

"And here I never thought the day would come…" Hiroshige was too girl crazy to be trustworthy, at least that's what I had always told myself. Of course there was always the possibility that his obsession was just a cover for some insecurity, but that just sounded ridiculous. Looking up I saw Black Cat sitting on the wooden stairs that led up to the raised temple.

"You have some serious explaining to do." I warned him as I sat down on the bottom step, putting my hat back on and pulling it down low over my face.

"You already know what I'm going to tell you."

"Enlighten me." Turning my head I glared down at the cat who shouldn't exist. We were in the same boat now, although I couldn't disappear at will or walk through walls and windows.

"You have to contract with a monk from the Kōgon sect, but the moment you come across a member of the sect they will try to end your existence." Lowering my head I stared at my hands, mulling the situation over in my head. What he was saying was perfectly true, I had seen that for myself first-hand. Takamasa had clearly been informed of my situation, but Itsuki had managed to get me off the hook, for now at least. Maybe it was because we were classmates; she didn't want to see me killed when I was clearly still in my right mind. It seemed hard to believe that every person who became… what did she call me? Shikabane? They couldn't all keep their humanity, but surely they couldn't all turn out like the horrendous creature which had attacked the Dai-Rin House.

"Does it have to be a Kōgon sect monk?" Black Cat looked up at me. "Yeah okay don't answer that, I know it's the Kōgon sect that deals with this stuff…" Letting out a long sigh I turned my face to the sun, squinting through my sunglasses at the sudden change in brightness.

"Hey wait a second. Ouri isn't a monk, yet he's contracted to that Makina girl, isn't he?" Black Cat's eyes glistened as he watched me.

"Very good. So what does that mean for you?"

"It means she'll kill me if I get anywhere near Ouri." I muttered, starting to feel extremely depressed about my situation.

"That isn't what I was getting at and you know it." Standing up I turned around and glared down at him.

"Yeah yeah, it means that Ouri is now 'obliged' to become a monk, correct? But how on earth does that help me?" He jumped off the stairs and began walking towards a pathway that led away from the temple. Rolling my eyes I picked up my bag and followed him.

"Think about it. He isn't a monk, but since he contracted he has to become one. Doesn't that mean that you don't have to find a monk, you just have to find someone who would be willing to BECOME a monk?" I frowned as I followed him along the strangely forested path.

"So if I can convince someone to join the Kōgon sect for my sake, then they won't try to kill me anymore?"

"Well, that's not a definite fact, but it's less likely for them to see a reason to kill you if you are contracted. Although I have to admit, you've done rather well so far at keeping your humanity. I wonder, is it because your regret is different to that of regular shikabane? Chances are we shall never know."

"You seem to know an awful lot about this." I commented, stumbling on a tree root that had found its way onto the path.

"Nonsense." The cat retorted. "I'm merely helping you to understand what you already know."

"Sure, whatever." I could see daylight beckoning from the end of the path and I stopped, watching Black Cat as he sat down on the ground.

"You know what you need to do now. Good luck with that." Black Cat then vanished into thin air. I never did understand how he could do that.

"Find someone to be a monk for me? I think I'm going to need more than a bit of good luck." He was gone though, and there was no-one left to hear me complain. Grinding my teeth in irritation I stepped off the path, surprised to find how much closer I was to the school now.

"Just what are you trying to tell me?"

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><p><strong>AN: So yeah, it's been a while since I last updated...**

**I'd like to thank Bunnii Bouncer for their review and for letting me know that there's someone out there reading it.**

**Don't kill me for slow updates since it's not my only story at the moment.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shikabane Hime…**

**A/N: I put this one back into third person since I was jumping around a lot and I thought it might flow better in third person as opposed to first person…**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5:<strong>

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><p>Ouri ran down the streets, chasing after the girl with long purple hair.<p>

"Hey, Makina, where are we going?" He called, breathing heavily as he struggled to keep up. Makina stopped running, turning to face him.

"I have a mission, you are following me." She pointed out, taking the chance to check on her weapons. "Just go back to school." Ouri frowned at her, trying to catch his breath while they weren't moving.

"No way! I said I would fight with you, and I meant it." He protested, standing up straight and looking her in the eye. The Shikabane Hime glared at Ouri, a fierce comment on the tip of her tongue, but she managed to swallow it before she snapped at him.

"Fine, but if anything happens I warned you not to come." Ouri smiled weakly, realising that he had won this particular argument. Makina noted the smug look on his face and started running again, heading more or less in the direction of Ouri's school, much to his surprise. His confusion was short lived however when they veered off course, heading up what seemed to be a rarely used track.

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><p>Miyako stared out from the break in the foliage, tensing when she heard footsteps quickly gaining on her position. Unsure of what to do she made a split second decision and climbed up one of the trees that lined the pathway. When she thought about it, it probably wasn't the best idea, since it only succeeded in trapping her completely. When the footsteps were right beneath her she looked down from where she was sitting to see a girl with long purple hair. She had stopped, looking around.<p>

"What are you doing now Makina? There's no-one here." A male voice pointed out breathlessly, leaning against a tree.

"Be quiet Ouri, you don't know anything." She snapped at him, continuing her search. Miyako was really hoping that she would just leave, but luck hadn't been on her side at all since she had died. After a thorough search of the ground area Makina looked up, a triumphant grin on her face when she met Miyako's gaze. She mouthed the words 'Found you' and the other girl scrambled to stand up on the branch.

"Makina?" He questioned again before following her gaze up into the tree tops. His eyes widened in shock and Miyako's heart would have skipped a beat at the almost betrayed look in his eyes. It wouldn't have mattered much to her if it was only Makina down there, but seeing him now, in her current condition… It was bad. Not to mention her trusty cat friend was making himself scarce so he wasn't even available to help her out of this tough spot.

"Miyako?" She shook her head so violently that she temporarily blinded herself with her own hair. In that moment of confusion Makina took the opportunity to open fire. As gunfire filled the air she shrieked in terror, shoes slipping on the branch as she tried to get away. Awkwardly righting herself she spotted her bag and, gritting her teeth in frustration, she kicked it at Makina. The warrior like shikabane hime stopped shooting in order to dodge it and Miyako jumped from the tree, landing in a patch of bushes and rolling several metres before finally coming to a stop. Ignoring her new cuts and scrapes she forced herself to her feet, running as far away from there as she could.

"Damn, she got away." Makina muttered, scowling, as she reloaded her guns. Ouri, on the other hand, was still attempting to recover from the sight of the Shikabane Hime shooting at his best friend. His _dead_ best friend. His first thought was denial, but he had seen it with his own eyes and knew that the person in the tree had at least _looked_ exactly like Miyako. Sure the clothes were different, that wasn't her normal style, but if he started thinking like that then he would only be fuelling his own denial.

"Where did she even run off to?" Makina's mumbling pulled Ouri out of his thoughts and he developed a rather desperate expression as he turned to face her.

"Are you sure we have to go after her? I mean, she hasn't done anything wrong, has she? You saw how terrified she was! I won't let you kill her." He stared pointedly at Makina, watching as she processed what he said.

"You don't understand. We have to get rid of her _before_ she does anything. This is why I didn't want you to come." Glaring coldly at Ouri she turned and stalked off in the direction of the school. Ouri was torn. He didn't know whether to go after Makina or Miyako, but in the end they had both gone in the same direction.

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><p>Coming to a stop Miyako leaned back against a fence, black hair obscuring her view as she tried to listen to her surroundings. From what she had seen of Makina's personality there was absolutely no chance that she had given up. She could hear noise from every direction, but she couldn't manage to pinpoint one that could possibly be Makina due to a massive disturbance coming from behind her. Standing up straighter she lifted her gaze from the pavement and turned to see what exactly was causing the interference. What loomed in front of her was the high school, the interference the sounds of all the classes in session. It was a shock. She hadn't realised where she had been going when she ran away and this was where she had ended up. Maybe Black Cat was messing with her subconscious. There had to be something he wanted her to do at the school.<p>

"Stupid cat. Can't you ever say anything clearly?" Staring up at the school she slipped through the gate, running to the trees at the edge of the grounds. She would have liked to go up on the roof but she knew she would only have been trapping herself. Keeping one eye on the building she tried to lose herself in the trees, listening carefully. Unfortunately her disorientation proved to be her downfall as a certain purple haired shikabane hime was already there waiting for her.

"Your actions are predictable. You have an attachment with this place from when you were alive. Admittedly though it does put a hole in my attack plans." Her voice scared Miyako and, gathering her remaining strength, she ran from the tree-line and headed towards the building. Her only real chance was to go to a place where she couldn't afford to make a scene.

"Leave me alone!" She cried, startled at the desperate begging tone that coated her plea. Footsteps approached the two of them from another direction but the owner went unnoticed by both of them until Makina was only two metres away.

"Don't hurt her!" Makina frowned, keeping her gaze locked on Miyako, watching her every move. Her stare made the black haired teen shudder, so she snuck a glance sideways to avoid Makina's eyes for a moment. Ouri was breathing heavily, his face determined as he stood off to the side. When she turned back to face the enemy she had her guns out again, pointing them straight at her.

Miyako couldn't help herself. She screamed.

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><p>A scream echoed through the classroom, interrupting the teacher's lecture and causing a stir among the students. Hiroshige turned in his seat and looked out the window, breath catching in his throat when he saw three people on the grass outside the building. Two of the people he recognised, and the one he didn't recognise… He was sure that it was just his eyes playing tricks on him but it looked like they had guns.<p>

"Uh, I have to go to the bathroom." He announced as he jumped out of his seat, running from the room before the teacher had a chance to protest. Trying not to make too much noise outside the other classrooms he made it to the stairs and ran down to the ground floor. It took him a moment to remember which way he needed to go to get to where he had seen them, but once he remembered he took off again, slamming the door open and sprinting around the side of the building until they came into sight.

"Makina, put the guns away. We don't have to do this here. What if someone sees you?" Ouri pleaded with the gun-wielding girl as Hiroshige walked closer, piquing his interest. He had never seen the girl before yet Ouri apparently knew her rather well, not to mention he was with her instead of being at school.

"This is my job, not yours. Get out of the way." Ouri tensed. He wasn't actually in the way but Makina just wanted him gone.

"Leave Miyako alone! She didn't do anything to you." Hiroshige demanded, stepping in front of her and throwing his arms out as if to protect her.

"Hiro…" She gaped at the back of his head, wondering how he had even known they were there. She shook her head, dismissing irrelevant thoughts and instead focusing on the fact that he was now standing in front of an undead girl with guns.

"Miyako get out of here." He called over his shoulder.

"Hiroshige you idiot, do you want to get killed? Get out of here!" Ouri was worried about the same thing as Miyako, they both feared for his life if he got in Makina's way. Makina sighed and pointed her weapons at the ground.

"I'm not allowed to kill humans…" She muttered, flashing an annoyed look at Ouri before turning to glare at Hiroshige. He was still standing there in front of Miyako, and she was about to put a hand on his shoulder when something else caught her eye. A certain feline that could only be seen by certain people had decided that now was a good time to come back.

"What do you want now?" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air to show that she was at her wits end. Ouri followed her gaze and frowned at the cat.

"How long have you been there for?" He asked, watching the cat warily. Makina watched their interactions but kept silent, not bothering to interrupt. To her they were talking to a cat, but to Hiroshige they were talking to thin air.

"What's with the accusing tones?" Black Cat asked in mock innocence. They would never know where he had learned to talk like that. Miyako knelt down and jabbed a finger in his face threateningly.

"Don't you try that act on me." She warned, glaring at him. "I don't need any more of your stupid riddles." That caught Hiroshige's attention and he turned around to find his two friends arguing with a patch of grass.

"Ouri?" He asked, confused. Ouri waved a hand dismissively in his direction, keeping his gaze focused on the cat the other boy couldn't see.

"Riddles?" He asked curiously, looking between Miyako and Black Cat.

"Come now Miyako, I don't think it was a riddle at all. I think you already know what I meant. There is only one person who knows about you who isn't attached to a Shikabane Hime."

"I suppose he does know doesn't he…" Ouri muttered, shooting a glance at Hiroshige who was checking the time.

"I'm not bringing him into this! It wouldn't be fair on him." Miyako protested, sitting back when Black Cat stood up, swinging his tail back and forth.

"It's either that or you get killed as a shikabane. Are you saying you wouldn't mind a second death so soon after the first?"

"That was a low blow Cat." She muttered angrily. "Ouri, what do you think I should do?" She asked, watching him nervously. He frowned, thinking about what they had been saying.

"When he said 'attached' did he mean a contracted monk?" Miyako nodded slowly, almost scared of what conclusion he would come up with.

"He started talking like that after we encountered Itsuki and the archery teacher." Ouri looked at her with confusion in his eyes.

"Itsuki? The exchange student?"

"Yeah, why?" As soon as it left her mouth she realised why he was confused. It wasn't something you would advertise to your classmates. "Ah, never mind…"

"Anyway…" He trailed off, caught up in thinking. Miyako jabbed Black Cat, making him hiss at her and disappear. At least with him gone there was one less thing to deal with.

"Ouri?" He climbed to his feet, turning to Hiroshige.

"Okay, we need to talk. Makina, don't you dare kill Miyako while I'm gone." She glared at him but reluctantly put her guns away as the two teen boys wandered off a short distance. Miyako watched them go, worried about what Ouri would tell him but not curious enough to eavesdrop.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the wait, I was trying to finish one of my other stories, which I have done now. I'm also really making up the plot as I go so that eats into my time sometimes, making it take longer to write a chapter… Still, thanks fir bearing with me and reading :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I'm slightly depressed today. First I finished this yesterday but couldn't upload it until now, then I had a really random dream last night where I had a really sweet boyfriend with some odd name starting with M. Then I woke up and reality came back into existence. Even watching Blackadder in English didn't cheer me up much… But enough, on with the story!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6:<strong>

"You came to this conclusion by talking to grass?" Hiroshige exclaimed, confused and still trying to process everything he had just been told. Ouri shook his head, trying to find the best way to explain.

"It was a cat Hiro. Ouri's not crazy enough to talk to grass yet." Miyako had been getting increasingly uncomfortable with each passing moment that she was left alone with Makina so she had decided to come over and help Ouri with the explanations, not that she really had much to add since Ouri knew more about the Kōgon sect than she did.

"But there was nothing there! You better not be trying to trick me." He pointed an accusing finger at her. She sighed, biting her lip. It was common knowledge that no-one really seemed able to see Black Cat, but that always seemed to slip her mind when it came to talking about him. Her lips tugged down into a slight frown as she stared past Hiroshige.

"Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Ouri muttered, tired of trying to convince his friend the cat was real. They would just have to compromise.

"Okay fine, but what's the deal with all the sexy dead girls?" Miyako blinked, bringing her green gaze to Ouri.

"He has a point. All the shikabane hime I've seen are all teenage girls and they're all rather pretty." It pissed her off to admit that Makina was good looking, but it was the unfortunate truth.

"Huh, I never really noticed it before."

"It sort of makes me feel like all the Kōgon monks are perverts…" Both boys turned to stare at Miyako and she blinked, confused, before they started laughing. Her frown twitched upwards into a small smile at the sight. It was nice to laugh together, for a moment it felt like everything was normal. But then reality came crashing back down on them and they all fell silent.

"How long have I been out here for?" Hiroshige asked suddenly, glancing nervously at the school building.

"I'm not sure… Maybe twenty minutes?" She looked to Ouri for confirmation and he nodded.

"Yeah, something like that." He turned back to them, slightly paler than before.

"Crap. I told the teacher I was going to the bathroom." Miyako stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting out into a fit of laughter.

"You're going to have a hard time explaining that." Ouri translated for him, making Hiroshige crack a small smile.

"You got that right. I really have to get back."

"Come to my place after school. We still need to talk." He nodded and quickly ran back into the building, Miyako watching nervously as he left. Makina had kept a respectful distance while they had been talking and only then came over to stand with them.

"Shouldn't you go to school as well?" Miyako pointed out, absently rubbing her arm as she stared into space.

"Nah, I've already missed part of the day, there's no point going now." Makina rolled her eyes, not amused by his logic. Miyako was wary of it too, he never used to be so good about missing school.

"Whatever. I'm going home." The tall purple haired teen turned on the spot and stalked off, not interested in them at all if she wasn't going to kill Miyako. That was the only reason she had been there in the first place, so if her presence wasn't required she couldn't be bothered. Babysitting them would be a waste of her time.

"What do we do now then?" Miyako asked, her green eyes guarded as they watched him.

"Well someone might ring the school if we go back to my place, but my boss might let us crash at his place for the time being." He didn't notice Miyako's frown since he had turned away, but it was there on her face, plain as day. She didn't like the way he had been acting, and she wasn't sure whether to blame Keisei's death, Makina or the Kōgon sect. It might even have been her fault, although she preferred not to go down that path. All she knew is that he wasn't the same person she had come to love any more.

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><p>When Hiroshige made it back to the classroom he didn't even attempt to explain his absence, accepting the verbal rebuke without a word. The rest of his classmates were whispering amongst themselves, making up stories to tell their friends about why he was gone for so long.<p>

He had a thoughtful expression on his face as he walked back to his seat, next to Ouri's empty desk and in front of Mizuki's desk. She watched him closely, scrutinising him as he sat down. She could tell that there was something different about him, something that hadn't been there when he had left the room earlier. In truth the difference was merely the burden of knowledge, and it was making him think about things he had never thought about before.

He didn't say a single rude, perverted or sexual thing to anyone for the entire day; in fact he barely spoke at all. No-one dared to break him out of his daze since it was extremely rare to see him putting so much thought into anything. He was desperately trying to work his mind around the things Ouri had told him about Shikabane and Shikabane Hime and about the Kōgon sect. Since he wouldn't normally believe something like that it was taking a lot of effort to try and convince himself that it was all true.

"Hiroshige!" Startled he glanced up into the faces of Mizuki and Sumitori who were standing over his desk. Mizuki sighed, arms folded across her chest.

"Look I know that you're sad but this moping is getting you nowhere!" It took him a minute to figure out what she was talking about. When he finally understood he almost opened his mouth and said that he had no need to be sad, but then they would have questioned – or more like interrogated – him and he wouldn't be able to explain without breaking his promise not to tell anyone.

"So are you coming?" Sumitori asked quietly, standing back a little.

"Coming where?" Mizuki narrowed her eyes, unhappy with his response.

"You really have been spacing out. We were going to go and get a smoothie."

"Oh, sorry. I have to work today." With his feeble excuse Hiroshige pushed his chair back, grabbing his bag and standing up, hurrying out of the classroom and away from Mizuki and Sumitori.

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><p>"Are you sure we should be doing this?" A hand waved in front of his face, signalling for him to be quiet.<p>

"Of course! He ditched class today and when he came back he was completely different! We are going to get to the bottom of this." Sumitori sighed, there was nothing he could say or do to convince Mizuki otherwise. They had followed Hiroshige, from a safe distance of course, and had ended up outside Ouri's apartment block. Since Ouri hadn't been at school Mizuki was getting even more suspicious. They were hiding across the road, watching as Hiroshige sat down outside Ouri's apartment. Apparently he wasn't home.

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><p>He had been sitting on the stairs for ten minutes when he caught sight of Miyako and Ouri coming back. Miyako was hanging back a little and Hiroshige could practically see the steam coming from her ears, she looked absolutely furious. It didn't seem as though Ouri had noticed, otherwise he was better at feigning ignorance than anyone had thought possible. He was betting that it was the first option. When they were at the bottom of the stairs he got up and moved out of the way, sending Miyako a questioning look when Ouri's back was turned. She just shook her head and continued to glare daggers in the back of Ouri's head.<p>

"Were you waiting long?" Ouri asked, drawing Hiroshige's attention to the now open door.

"Ah no, not really." He had a burning desire to ask Miyako what had happened to make her so angry, but he also knew better than to question her about it. While they were outside anyway.

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><p>"Wasn't that the girl we saw this morning?" Mizuki asked Sumitori, although she was more or less just thinking out loud. "First she says that she doesn't know us and now she's in Ouri's apartment with Hiroshige. I can tell something's not right about this." Sumitori merely shook his head. He didn't want to be there, it didn't feel right to be spying on their friends like they were. Even so he was still there, because there was a tiny chance that his presence might prevent her from doing something overly drastic.<p>

It wasn't long before a girl with long reddish-purple hair stormed up to the apartment and kicked open the door.

"Isn't that…?" Mizuki nodded, confirming the unfinished question.

"Getting to the bottom of this might be harder than we thought."

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><p>The door burst open, hitting the wall with a loud bang which made everyone in the room jump, except for Miyako who had heard the new arrival coming up the stairs. The door was quickly slammed shut again and when they had calmed down they realised it was Itsuki that had caused the massive disruption.<p>

"Ouri, just where the hell did you take her?" The exchange student demanded angrily, showing a side of herself that no-one had ever seen before. Miyako stood leaning against the wall, fuming quietly and glaring at Ouri.

"I-I just took her to work with me…" Itsuki dragged a hand through her long hair, dislodging the massive bow and ignoring it as it fell to the ground in the entranceway. She let out a small groan, obviously irritated as well as agitated.

"Everyone's talking now. They all know. You're going to get Takamasa in trouble now since we were the first to let her go!"

"Ouri, your boss and that girl… You DO remember what they are don't you? At Keisei's funeral I heard you talking with them outside the grounds. He was wearing Kōgon robes and I heard enough of the conversation that, with what I know now, I can easily see that she's a Shikabane Hime." Everyone turned to look at Miyako, the bitterness in her voice had been hard to miss. Hiroshige felt like he was finally understanding why she had been so pissed off when she arrived, although knowing didn't mean that he could do anything about it. It was too late now, the damage had been done.

"Well yeah, I know that… But they're good people! They wouldn't do anything to hurt you." Itsuki shook her head, moving to stand next to Miyako.

"You're wrong Ouri, they're the worst people." The blank stare she received was enough incentive to keep talking. "I don't know whether Makina told you this or not, but we aren't allowed to kill humans." Miyako nodded, having heard that in the morning after Makina refused to shoot Hiroshige. "Well there have always been rumours floating around about a pair who weren't required to follow that rule, and it has recently been confirmed. Akira and Sadahiro are that pair." Miyako's expression darkened at the news, not surprising considering the way they had been questioning her while she was there.

"I don't understand what that has to do with anything…" Ouri muttered, rubbing the back of his head as Miyako slid down the wall to sit on the carpeted floor with her knees drawn to her chest. A frustrated sigh forced its way out of Itsuki's mouth at his admittance.

"It has every single relevance. It means that they can kill you, or even him," she gestured vaguely to Hiroshige, "if they feel that you are getting in the way of the Kōgon sect." Hiroshige tensed, understanding the deadly connotations if they slipped up. Dull green eyes stared at the wall behind his head, gazing off into space. Miyako was absently patting the newly reappeared Black Cat as she tried to process all the things that had happened in the just over twenty four hours since she had woken up.

"The first day of the afterlife has been rather a let-down." She muttered, picking the elusive cat up and sitting him in her lap. He protested, but it was feeble, knowing that he could just disappear if she got too clingy.

"I'd like to say it gets better, but that would most likely be a lie." Itsuki straightened up, shooting one curious look at Black Cat before heading for the door. "I hope nothing bad happens to you three, but try not to get anyone else involved, alright?" Sending them a meaningful glance she walked out the door, shutting it more carefully behind her this time.

* * *

><p>"Ah, she's leaving. Let's follow her!" Sumitori groaned, climbing to his feet and stretching out after sitting in an uncomfortable position for an extended period of time.<p>

"Mizuki." He said firmly, voice quiet. "You're taking this too far. I agree that something's up, but if you can't ask them upfront then just leave them alone." She stared at him, blinking in shock. He almost never spoke up like that, and never so forcefully. It was a real shock, but when she stopped to think about it he was right. She was overreacting and it was almost shameful.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's call it a day." Sumitori let out a small noise of relief and they parted ways, hoping that the next day would have Mizuki in a clearer state of mind and possibly bring some much wanted answers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So I'm not really sure what went on this chapter, for some reason I just really wanted some stalking… Don't ask me why I don't know. But yeah, school's back up, so I only really have the weekends for writing now.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: To Divine Dragon Emperor – I really appreciate the compliment, and I shall also thank you for the reminder. Your review was a bit like a wakeup call, reminding me how long it had been since I last updated. For that, I shall dedicate this chapter to you :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7:<strong>

The next day saw Miyako forcing a reluctant Ouri out the door of his apartment so that Hiroshige could drag him to school. It was only partially out of concern for him, what she really wanted was some space and some time alone to think. She had no desire to go anywhere near the monks of the Kōgon sect ever again, but she didn't want to die either. One death in one week was more than enough for her.

"Dammit!" Miyako cried, kicking the cupboard. She was moping in the kitchen, trying to sort her thoughts and find some determination. Even though she had convinced herself that she wanted to be alone the silence was eating away at her. Now that there were some people who knew about her it was more intimidating to be alone, the fear that someone would come to dispose of her while no-one was around was overwhelming. She hadn't slept a wink last night, though she wasn't sure if it was due to nerves or just because she simply couldn't. Instead she had sat on the couch in the living room staring at the moon all night.

Miyako's deep green eyes were troubled, clouded over with anxiety. Guilt was eating at her. She felt guilty for dragging Hiroshige into the dangerous situation. There was no guilt for Ouri though, he had been involved from the beginning, since before she had even died, so it was through no fault of her own that he was in as deep as he was.

She slumped forwards, elbows on the table with her head resting in her hands. Ideally Miyako would like to just live peacefully until she eventually went on a rampage as everyone seemed to think she was destined to do. Unfortunately she would have to be more assertive than that, picking either straight up death or working with those who scared her the most. The problem she had with the second option was the whole contracted monk issue. All the people that she knew or had encountered from the Kōgon sect were all already contracted, and the person whom Black Cat was adamant she should partner with was none other than Hiroshige. She didn't want to drag him any deeper into the whole mess, but if anyone found out the extent of his newfound knowledge he would most likely be targeted anyway.

"Gah, why is everything so complicated? Did I do something wrong somewhere along the way?" While she wanted to scream at the top of her voice she kept it to an irritated muttering, unsure of who was still at home in the apartment building and unwilling to announce her presence to the rest of the tenants.

Stress was making her head spin so, grabbing a towel from the cupboard in the hall she traipsed through to the bathroom, dead set on having a shower to calm herself down before school ended.

* * *

><p>Ouri and Hiroshige were late coming back from school. Miyako, normally one for rational thinking and keeping calm, was actually crying as she sat on the floor next to the couch. Her hair streamed down around her face, hiding her tears from view, but the sobs were obvious to anyone who cared to listen. Stress had driven her to an emotional meltdown, something she had never succumbed to before.<p>

"Hey Miyako…" Ouri's voice rang out accompanied by the sound of the door closing. She hiccupped pathetically and let out a choked sob, signalling her existence in the apartment. Footsteps rushed to her side and the next thing she knew there was a hand on her shoulder and she could just make out a figure through the curtain of black hair covering her pale face.

"Hey, are you okay?" A shudder ran down her spine at the sound of Hiroshige's voice. Something inside her snapped and she breathed deeply, clenching her teeth to prevent anymore sobs forcing their way from her mouth. When he received no reaction from her he grabbed her shoulder with a firmer grip and shook her gently.

"Miyako…?" Shoving him away she jumped to her feet, quivering with an unidentifiable emotion.

"Shut _up!_ Shut up shut up shut up!" She screamed, hugging her waist tightly as she swayed nervously from foot to foot; face tear-streaked yet furious and pale. The shock on the faces of both boys was obvious; no-one had ever heard her speak like that before, neither in life or death.

"What happened while we were gone?" Ouri asked firmly, taking a step closer.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Miyako cried out, emerald eyes flashing in anger and confusion. Hiroshige just stood by the couch, completely shell-shocked. _I can't let them help me._ She coached herself desperately, eyes darting from side to side in an agitated way.

"Miyako." Ouri's voice had taken on an almost threatening tone, one that chilled her to the bone. It wasn't pleasant, hearing that sort of thing from him. She shook her head angrily, blinking away a few tears that threatened to escape her eyes.

"Leave me alone!" Fisting her hands by her sides she stormed out of the room, sidestepping the outstretched hand that attempted to stop her and slamming the door shut behind her, sprinting down the stairs of the apartment building.

* * *

><p>'<em>This is awful, simply awful.'<em> Running down the street Miyako forcefully shoved any guilt filled thoughts from her mind. She has made up her mind, it was time for separation.

"Miyako?" A faintly familiar voice called to her as she ran through some random backstreet several blocks away from Ouri's place. Stopping she looked around frantically, eyes wide as she scrubbed away at the tear tracks on her face with the back of her right hand. When she finally located the source of the voice her hair was plastered to her face and she almost fell over in shock. It was all too convenient.

"Sensei…" She whispered, half relieved and half confused. Takamasa Sogi was standing across the road, bow and arrows strapped across his back, looking as though he had just been practising his archery. His eyes were troubled, but that was to be expected when once again faced with the very same Shikabane that he let go. As she met his eyes his features hardened and her own eyes filled with determination. Ignoring the questioning look he was sending her she crossed the road, moving to stand about a metre from him.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, voice firm with a hint of warning. Steeling herself Miyako took a deep breath.

"Sensei, please kill me." She could hear faint footsteps, so she knew that there was a limited amount of time available to her before her request became impossible.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" The footsteps were getting closer at an alarming rate, meaning that they were purposefully heading for her location.

"I just… I don't want to drag anyone down into that world with me for my own selfish survival." Takamasa's expression softened and he regarded her with serious eyes.

"I can't kill you." She scowled, eyebrows pulling down into sharply angled lines above her eyes.

"Don't give me that bullshit." She spat at him, hands fisted in the hem of her shirt. "You are Kōgon, you must have _some_ sort of capability. I can't ask Itsuki to do it, not after the things she said in my defence yesterday. It would be too cruel. But you, surely you would have no qualms about eliminating me, I wasn't even one of your students."

"You are completely sure then? That is surprising, for one such as you." A light weight settled on Miyako's shoulders and something furry rubbed against her cheek, startling her.

"What are you thinking? Don't just throw your life away. Use the humans, they mean nothing when all is said and done." Reaching up she grabbed Black Cat by the scruff of the neck and held him in front of her face. He hissed unhappily, glaring at her with his slit pupil eyes.

"I don't care for your advice any longer. Your words are of no help to me." She opened her hand and he fell towards the ground, disappearing just before he hit the pavement. "Stupid cat." She muttered irritably, glaring at where he had been.

"You have strange companions." Takamasa noted, dragging her back to the situation at hand.

"That is none of your concern. Please, just kill me." The footsteps were almost upon them, she couldn't tell how many people there were, she was too stressed to concentrate properly. Sighing Takamasa grabbed his bow and pulled an arrow out of thin air, one that glowed with power. Miyako closed her eyes and braced herself as he went through his preparations, closing herself off.

It was only when the footsteps were right next to her that she opened her eyes once more.

"What kind of sensei do you think you are, trying to kill a student?" Her lips parted in shock as she saw Hiroshige yelling at the older man. Takamasa frowned, lowering his bow.

"So you didn't even talk through your decision with those who know? I thought you said you were prepared."

"I am, don't listen to him!" He shook his head once and released his hold on the mystical arrow.

"Sensei, please don't do it." Hiroshige begged, cautiously eying the bow still in his hand.

"Don't worry, I shall take my leave. I let her go the first time because Itsuki convinced me to trust her, so that is what I shall do." Takamasa walked off, leaving the two teenagers in a shocked silence.

Minutes dragged on and nothing happened, bar a few people walking past and giving the two of them odd looks. It wasn't until one of them accidentally bumped into Miyako that she snapped.

"Hiro you stupid idiot!" She yelled, startling the pedestrian and causing them to run off, away from what seemed to be a heated argument in the making. "Why did you have to barge in like that? I had it all worked out!" He flinched as he turned to face her, anger and fright in his eyes.

"What the hell do you mean 'had it all worked out'? Are you trying to tell me that death is the answer? That death will solve everything? If that was true then the world wouldn't have any problems!" She bit her trembling lip and raised her hand, slapping him hard across the cheek.

"Baka!" She shouted at him as his cheek turned red. "Stupid! Idiot! Moron!" Her insults died out as she tried furiously to blink back the tears which were forming in the corners of her eyes. Hiroshige was in a stunned silence, his shock and confusion only increasing when she wrapped her arms around him, rested her forehead on his shoulder and began to cry. His face ached where she had hit him, but for some reason it didn't matter. He wasn't angry. Her entire body was trembling as she cried, and he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and patting her on the back in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. It was hard to believe that she wasn't really alive when she broke down like that.

"Miyako?" He questioned once her body had mostly calmed down. She smiled into his shirt, clenching the fabric tightly as though he were the only chance she had at survival.

"I guess I really don't want to die after all Hiro." She murmured, using her free hand to rub her eyes. She had been completely convinced that dying was the answer, that it would make everyone else's lives better, but in the end she just wasn't that selfless. There was no way that she could willingly concede to death, it terrified her too much.

"That's a good thing." He reassured her, trying to put his emotions across with the simple statement.

"Don't you think it's odd, for a dead person to fear death?" She asked, unsure of how she should express her thoughts.

"No. Death is still death, no matter if it's the first time, the third time or the hundredth time. It will always be something to fear." Miyako giggled quietly, glancing up at him with puffy red eyes.

"That was awfully philosophical. Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" She teased, giggling even more when his ears burned bright red in embarrassment.

"Sorry." He muttered, letting his arms drop to his sides. She frowned, but then stepped away from him and grabbed his hand instead.

"We should probably go back yeah?"

"Oh, yeah." He looked away, hiding the pale blush which dusted the bridge of his nose as she pulled him down the street.

* * *

><p>"I didn't know Hiroshige had a girlfriend." Sumitori commented as he passed them on the street.<p>

"Let's just leave them be." Mizuki intoned, not bothering to look. He was surprised, she was being awfully considerate considering she usually loved to barge into people's lives. Then again, he really shouldn't be complaining, it meant there would be less work for him in the long run.

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><p><strong>AN: Actual authors note this time :P I know it's been a little bit since my last update, but I just got sucked up into school and didn't notice how much time had gone by since I had done any work on this. So here we are.**

**Yeah, so Miyako has some epic mood swings in this chapter, but that's mostly due to stress from her situation. sort of a lame excuse... but oh well, that's just how it is.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

With Miyako having finally calmed down from her little emotional roller coaster she, Hiroshige and Ouri were sitting on Ouri's apartment once more. Hiroshige had explained what had happened after they left and Ouri was furious. He had already lost her once and he had no intention of letting her die on him again. With his explanation finished Hiroshige had more or less been excluded from the conversation, so he sat at the end of the table staring out the window and avoiding eye contact with either of them, fearing the tense atmosphere and imagining literal sparks flying between them, just itching to start a fire. That room was far from the safest place he could be at that moment, but he had nowhere else to go for the time being and no intention of leaving until everything was resolved.

"You are an idiot. This isn't just your problem! We are all involved in one way or another. Why can't you just accept that?"

"It's my life! I can make decisions by myself." Miyako protested angrily, resting one hand on her lap so that no-one could see it trembling.

"That's where you are wrong. You have to consult us about these things. You aren't going to be the only one affected if you go through with something like that!" He slammed his hands on the table when he finished, eyes burning with anger which drowned out any and all concern that was previously visible in his irises. Miyako was visibly trembling now, although it was now from rage as she climbed to her feet, leaning forwards slightly as she radiated a menacing aura.

"I loved you, you left, I dealt with it. But now here you are acting like an over-protective big brother! You're unbelievable!" The two boys stared at her in shock as she quickly ran over what had just come out of her mouth. When she realised what she had said what little colour had been present in her pale face drained away completely and she sank back into her seat, an astonished look on her face as she stared blankly at the wall across the room.

"You… what?" She shook her head, lips pressed together in a thin line as she refused to make eye contact with either of them. Stunned silence filled the room as all three of them mulled over different things in their minds.

* * *

><p>After half an hour the silence was more than just a little bit awkward, and Miyako and Hiroshige both climbed to their feet and pronounced "I'm going for a walk," at the same time. Her frowning and him startled they glanced at each other momentarily across the room before he broke eye contact, not before she had noted a pained look hidden away in his eyes. The frown deepened when Ouri rolled his brown eyes and stood up slowly, running a hand through his hair nervously.<p>

"I think we could all use some fresh air."

"No." He was immediately shot down by Miyako. She wanted outside, but she didn't want him to come with her, not after what she had let slip earlier.

"I'm not letting you go out on your own again." A warning tone crept into his voice and her frown turned into a full-blown scowl.

"You are not coming with me." Her tone told them that she would have no arguments on the subject, but he wasn't about to give up that easily.

"It's dangerous out there." He protested, causing her to narrow her eyes in amusement as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Yeah. From my understanding it's a lot more dangerous for you lot than it is for me." Her voice and attitude was that of amused sarcasm, although her emerald eyes were burning in irritation. Ouri opened his mouth but she held up a hand, cutting him off before he could say anything. "You don't have to say it; it's obvious that you don't trust me at all. If you insist on me having a bodyguard then Hiroshige can come with me. Is that acceptable with you, _brother_?" Mocking crept into her voice at the end of the sentence as she walked over to the door, wrapping her hand tentatively around the door handle.

"…Fine." His shoulders sagged as he reluctantly gave in to her demands, moving slowly over to the couch and sinking down onto the faded piece of furniture. Hiroshige looked between his two friends before deciding to go with Miyako for a walk. Ouri probably needed some time alone anyway after everything that had just been shoved in his face.

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><p>Two and a bit hours later Miyako returned to the apartment alone, Hiroshige having finally gone to his own house at some point during her walk. It had been silent most of the time as they wandered the streets, her eyes adjusting easily to the growing darkness. Ouri had fallen asleep on the couch in the 'living room' area, although it wasn't much of one, so she locked the door behind her after taking off her white shoes. A quick scan of the kitchen showed her that he hadn't eaten, but that wasn't her concern, at least not at that moment in time. She had found, over the short period of time during which she had been dead, that she didn't get hungry. Then again, it didn't mean that she couldn't eat. It was a habit, and now it would act a little more like comfort food.<p>

"Jeez, what should I even make?" She pulled some random things from the pantry and the fridge. In the end she wound up making rice with teriyaki chicken, enough for two. It wasn't because she was worried about him, no, it was more of an apology for blowing up at him. The walk had allowed her to clear her head and she finally understood how judgemental she was being. Putting her own portion to one side she placed Ouri's food in the fridge before climbing up on the bench and eating while she looked out the window at the moon.

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><p>It was just after 11pm that she got fed up with being awake. She had exhausted everything she could think of doing without waking Ouri up. She had braided, undone and braided her hair again four times already, eventually settling for having it braided. Miyako hadn't really tried sleeping yet, but that was all that was left that she could think of to do, so she grabbed a blanket from the hall cupboard and curled up on the armchair that sat next to the tv. It wasn't all that much of a stretch, she was always falling asleep in chairs, plus she didn't really want to sleep in Ouri's futon, because that would just be too weird in her mind.<p>

For a while emerald eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, but eventually they drifted shut, allowing her to sleep at last.

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><p>A series of loud knocks had Miyako on all fours on the floor, blanket puddled around her in a now useless mess of blue. Ouri was awake as well, and brown met green briefly before he climbed to his feet and went to open the door, hoping to save his neighbours from the noise before they started complaining. He was vaguely surprised to find the door locked seeing as he hadn't done it, but he easily shrugged it off, unlocking the door and swinging it open before even checking to see who it was.<p>

"Hiroshige…?" The other boy was indeed standing in the doorway, but he was flanked by several unknown men. Miyako's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she climbed unsteadily to her feet, adjusting the hem of her shorts before she straightened up completely. Ouri was shivering and it was plain that the weather was unsatisfactory, but there was no indicator to her bare arms of the temperature.

"I'm sorry, they must have followed me here." The two teens scrutinised the men outside the apartment. They were both dressed in casual clothes, but one of them had a shaved head and an odd presence, successfully giving himself away as a monk of some sort.

"It's not your fault." Miyako reassured him, her voice bitingly cold as she wandered closer to the doorway, her body language strikingly uninviting. The reprimanding she had received the day before had put her in a better frame of mind and she now had no interest in the monks. If she could just live her life peacefully for a while that would be all she needed.

"You aren't Makina Hoshimura." One of the men stated monotonously, eying her as if he was trying to decide whether she was a threat or not.

"What, did you think she actually lived here? How thick can you get?" Miyako taunted, taking another step forward so that she was shoulder to shoulder with Ouri in the doorway. The monk stared at her before lashing out and grabbing her by the wrist.

"Who are you?" He demanded, tightening his grip. Miyako stiffened, taking a step back and trying to break out of his hold.

"Let me go creep!" Planting her feet more firmly on the ground she managed to break free of his grasp, but the expression on his face had already changed. She rubbed her wrist angrily and glared at him.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" She blatantly ignored him, responding with a question of her own.

"What made you decide that following Hiro was a good idea?" At some stage Hiroshige had managed to get into the apartment away from the monks and was now hovering somewhere between Ouri and Miyako. This time it was her turn to be ignored.

"Don't mock the Kōgon dead girl, or we'll have you killed immediately. This is the last time I'm going to ask. Who are you?" Miyako rested most of her weight on one foot and stuck her hip out slightly, biting her lip with her arms folded across her chest. It sounded like they were serious, which meant that they wanted something. She was certain that they didn't go for random strolls around the town every day, knocking on people's doors and stalking other people. It just didn't suit their image.

"…Miyako Yamanaka…" She replied reluctantly, extremely wary of their presence now as the stepped inside and shut the door behind them. The man who had yet to speak turned and leant against the wall, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"We'll have to issue punishments when we get back then…" He muttered more to himself than to anyone in particular.

"What is this," Hiroshige whispered to the teens, "some kind of good cop bad cop routine?" A smirk curled Miyako's lips up at the corners but her eyes remained cold, silently screaming at the monks to leave and let them be.

"This is pointless without the girl. Where is Makina Hoshimura?" The bald monk apparently had a rather short fuse, which explained why he did most of the talking.

"How the hell should I know?" She pointed out, having taken on the role of speaker for their little group. The monk narrowed his nearly black eyes in anger.

"No-one asked for your opinion filth." He snarled at her, causing her to raise her hands in mock surrender.

"Woah hey, calm down there, that's kind of insulting you know?" His face was flushed with anger and Miyako laughed on the inside, somehow managing to maintain a composed, almost bored expression on her face.

"Be silent!" He yelled at her, making his companion duck his head to hide the smirk he had on his face. There was never a boring moment when dealing with him, that was certain.

'_So he's one of them hmm? A bit of a contradiction really, although I suppose he probably disapproves of the Shikabane Hime scheme. But in that case why is he even here?'_ She was mulling over such things when the door was kicked open from the outside, hitting the bald monk in the ribs with the door handle when he didn't react quickly enough.

"Would someone please tell me why Itsuki was trying to break my door down last night to tell me some sob story?"

None of the teens had ever been happier to see Makina than they were at that moment as she stood there, surveying her surroundings.

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><p><strong>AN: You lot are probably going to hate me for this, but the next chapter will more than likely be the last. That's because I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing with this… That being said, one of these days I believe I shall try and write a one-shot or two, but without any OC's and the like. Hopefully I can think of something sort of original that I can put a complete story too without it ending all over the place like this has been…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

"Well?" Makina demanded, arms folded aggressively across her chest as she waited for someone to respond to her question.

"Makina…" Blue eyes locked onto Miyako with a disapproving look in them at the sound of her voice. Makina was no fan of the girl.

"You. Itsuki's sob story was about _you_. I had to let her in otherwise she would have _literally_ broken my door down. She rambled for almost an hour and it was all some cry baby story about _you._ It made me want to be sick, you disgust me." The only sign that what the purple haired shikabane hime said affected the other girl was the slight twitch of her mouth and the curl of her fingers. The first to recover from the outburst and interruption was the bald monk.

"Makina Hoshimura. That certainly saves us a fair amount of time." All four of the teens, both dead and alive, turned around to stare at the man with varying degrees of confusion or, in Makina's case, indifference, on their faces.

"I don't know you. What do you want?" It was clear that Makina didn't really care, she was just asking so that they would finish their business and leave so she could beat the crap out of Miyako for causing her nightmarish day. The monk cleared his throat awkwardly, running a hand over his bald head.

"The head of the temple requested that we collect Makina Hoshimura and Ouri Kagami and bring them to the training grounds up in the mountains. He also said to look into the issue of the shikabane who had so far escaped attempts on her life by two separate shikabane hime. If we find her she is also to come with us for observation."

"Like hell that's going to happen." Miyako muttered under her breath, absently rubbing the bare skin of her arm like she used to when she was cold. The head monk, like she was going to believe anything that came from the mouths of two suspicious men who stalked teenagers.

"No." For once Makina was in complete agreement with the shikabane. She had no desire to go there; it definitely wouldn't be a warm reception. They were going to make her completely cut her ties with Keisei and that was something she had no desire to do.

"This is nuts!" Ouri found he had to agree with Hiroshige as he examined the expressions on both of the girls' faces. For once it seemed as though they would get along, although it wasn't really what he was hoping for. But the mountains? He would have to drop out of school for that. Was that really such a great idea?

"There are only two options here." The quiet monk in jeans told them calmly. "You lot either come with us willingly or we drag you back to the temple. It's up to you."

"You know I thought monks were supposed to be nice. Keisei was nice, he-" A weight settled on Miyako's shoulders and she stopped mid-sentence, slowly closing her mouth and going to sit down on the couch instead.

"As much as it sickens me to admit this I agree with her. The organisation's just full of scum like you." The two monks were admittedly startled by Makina's blunt attitude, but they weren't going to just give up and walk away.

"You can even bring that other boy with you if it will make things easier." Surely he was just picking at straws. That was hardly the greatest incentive when the point was to try and keep Hiroshige _away_ from the people of the sect, no, to keep them all away from the sect. The people from the Kōgon sect had already played a large enough role in their lives through Keisei, they didn't want to have anything more to do with the group.

"Uh, what is your friend doing?" The good natured monk questioned them, a slightly baffled look on his face as he watched Miyako. She was sitting on the couch, absently stroking the air above her lap every now and again as she conversed with herself in a hushed tone. Of course, Makina and Ouri saw it in another way.

"That stupid cat, he's become completely attached to her. He never talks to me anymore when I need it." Ouri grumbled to himself, tearing his gaze away from the two. Makina simply nodded her head once in understanding. No-one answered the man's question. They felt that there was nothing to explain. It could make things easier if they believed her to be insane, or at least not in her right frame of mind. Perhaps they would be less inclined to drag them off to the temple with a mentally unstable shikabane.

"Umm…" Hiroshige was almost as confused as the monk, even though he theoretically knew what was happening. As they say, seeing is believing, and he couldn't see the cat. For all he knew all three of them were actually insane.

"Never mind that Yamada. The stupid creature is probably losing touch with reality, such is what she deserves for escaping death in such a disgusting manner." Miyako twitched, breaking away from her conversation to glare furiously at the bald monk before shooting a calmer look at Yamada and turning back to Black Cat.

"Whatever you say Adachi." Yamada pushed off the wall and wandered further into the apartment, intent on raiding their fridge while his partner sorted things out. His banging around and little exclamations of annoyance or triumph were the only things to fill the small place for a time, no-one else willing to make conversation.

"Hey, Adachi right?" The voice was an unfamiliar one, and when the group turned to look Hiroshige and the monk were extremely surprised to see a black cat residing on the shikabane's shoulders.

"D-did that cat just t-t-talk?" Hiroshige stuttered, completely out of his comfort zone with no idea how to react to anything anymore. Miyako was silent, watching them all with one hand resting lightly against the wall as she stood next to the entrance to the kitchen, her other hand clenched into a tight fist by her side.

"Yes, my name is Adachi." The monk was completely composed; there wasn't even the barest hint of surprise on his face or in his stature. He must have suspected something of the sort.

"Kōgon monk, we shall accept your proposition, if only to fulfil this child's selfish desires. You seem to be rather well educated, so you should know that the temple surely wouldn't be opposed to having another despicable creature such as her to help in their extermination of the undead." The cat rubbed his head gently against Miyako's cheek, as though trying to convince them that he was just a normal cat when it was frighteningly obvious that wasn't the case.

"That's rich, Cat. So you think you have some sort of authority over me, making decisions for all of us?" Makina drew herself up to her full height and glared furiously at the shikabane that was trying to pose as a loveable house pet. "I won't accept your arrogance." Miyako bit her lip nervously, her nails digging harshly into the palms of her hands, not that she noticed any pain. She had agreed to let Black Cat do the talking in the conversation, although she was worried about what he would say and what he would leave out. It was clear that he planned to talk around things and that could only cause problems. A slightly uncomfortable tugging on her shoulder informed Miyako that Black Cat had stuck his claws into her arm to grab her attention. Huffing silently she forced her fist to unclench and lifted her arm out in front of her body, allowing the now weightless shikabane to walk down the length of her arm to sit face to face with the monk.

"You think too highly of me girl. The arrogance you accuse me of would imply that I cared enough about what happened to you to choose a course of action for you. I have no qualms about saying that I care naught for any of you." He was practically purring in amusement, something that wasn't seen often. "My only true concern is existence, and I have chosen what I believe to be the best way to ensure that happens." He then proceeded to wash his face with his paw, something absurdly feline in such a tense situation. The monk Yamada spoke up from the kitchen, where he was apparently having trouble finding anything good enough to steal from the fridge.

"You make valid points cat." Yamada's voice was muffled but obviously amused by something. "I also find myself reasonably unconcerned about the actual outcome of this... visit. You seem to be quite sure of yourself and your decision, but what about the young maiden you speak for?" Miyako decided immediately that he was definitely the nicer of their guests, and she would prefer to be in his company were she to be escorted anywhere. At least he didn't insult her with every breath as she could tell the Adachi fellow was having difficulty refraining from doing. She wasn't even mad that he had successfully pulled everyone's attention to her instead of Black Cat, although she was still unnerved by it. Such intense scrutiny was overwhelming, not something she had ever had to deal with before she died.

"Uhh..." Green eyes flicked around nervously, trying to find somewhere she could look without making eye contact with anyone. Eventually she pulled Black Cat to her chest and cradled him there as though he were a normal harmless kitten and looked down at him as she tangled her fingers in his fur. "Selfish desires huh?" Chuckling humourlessly her eyes darkened, hardening, the green of her irises deepening a few shades as she contemplated how to explain herself without getting beaten up by anyone.

"Miyako doesn't have to explain herself to us. Apparently she likes to take her life into her own hands." Hiroshige bitterly informed Yamada as he finally decided to reappear in the doorway between rooms. He was trying to relieve the pressure, but it was hard to miss the hurt in his eyes – he didn't make any effort to hide it. She stiffened, shoulders hunching as she curled in on herself ever so slightly, turning so that she was leaning with her back against the wall.

"I suppose it depends on your definition of selfish." Miyako muttered quietly, the others immediately shutting up to make sure they didn't miss anything she said. "Makina... I can tell she despises that place with a vengeance, she'll never go back there." The girl in question bristled irritably, not appreciating having someone trying to psycho-analyse her. "Hiroshige should never have gotten mixed up in all this crap in the first place. It was my fault that he did, I didn't try hard enough to stay hidden." He frowned, hurt being overshadowed by confusion. It was clear though that she was talking to herself, not having the courage to confront them directly. "Ouri... Even though I yelled at him, well, I still care. It doesn't seem like a great place to be, and he would also have to deal with a pissed Makina." Makina and Ouri glanced at each other, Ouri shrugging in a gesture of 'I have no idea what she's talking about'. "I suppose I figured that if I went in their stead they might not have to go as well."

"Well now, you sure have developed some strange hero complex. Trying to redeem yourself for the hideous beast you have become?" Adachi sneered, unimpressed by her monologue. Yamada smacked him in the back of the head, shooting him a hard glare to which Adachi quickly averted his eyes. Despite their attitudes it would seem that Yamada was actually in charge of their little operation.

"Seriously, you have a foul mouth on you." Yamada scolded. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to help a friend." Miyako flinched uncomfortably as he walked over to her, lifting Black Cat from her arms to reveal harsh red marks littering her arms from where her nails had dug in, not to mention an abundance of scratch marks courtesy of the feline shikabane as he forced her to continue talking. "You're couragous even though you're shaking like a leaf." He commented lightly, causing her eyes to snap up to his in shock. The teen had been convinced that no-one could tell how scared she was, but that monk just saw straight through her!

"I..." She was going to protest her fear, but felt that there was no point, that it was hopelessly futile, a lost cause. Yamada smiled gently at her, scratching Black Cat behind an ear and eliciting a pleasured purring from the proud shikabane.

"You don't have to worry about what Adachi says, he's a grumpy git." Adachi scowled at that, turning and storming from the apartment in a childish show of temper. "I think you're trying to be noble. It's selfish that you haven't let them have any say in your thoughts, but I can imagine that you were probably right on all accounts anyway."

"W-wait! Does that mean that Miyako's leaving?" Hiroshige interrupted suddenly, eyes wide in fear and realisation.

"Well that depends. What do you think young miss?"

"Umm... Will I have to be near that Adachi person if I go?" She asked wearily, eyeing Ouri who had been silent most of the time. The expression on his face scared her because she couldn't read it.

"Nah, that guy doesn't normally have anything to do with the shikabane hime. They were just lacking people so they sent him along with me as back-up. Not that I've ever needed back-up before. As you've seen they tend to make things worse when they decide to take things into their own hands." She nodded, a weak smile gracing her lips as she turned to stare at her feet.

"If you aren't going there with the express intent of getting yourself killed then I have no problem with it." Ouri said, speaking up finally. Everyone else stared at him in varying degrees of shock or, in Yamada's case, understanding.

"That's crazy! Do you want her to leave? Do you care that little for her?" Hiroshige shouted in outrage, his clenched fists shaking in anger.

"On the contrary," he retorted, unusually calm, "I am respecting her wishes. As she said, she's being selfish, you getting defensive will not help the situation." Miyako cocked her head to one side in awe at his display of logic and self control. She shot him a grateful smile before straightening up from her slouch.

"I think... I'll go with you, on the condition that you don't come looking for Makina and Ouri again." Yamada nodded lightly.

"I never cared much for this mission anyway."

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><p><strong>AN: Well I finally managed to get through this chapter. This is actually version 2 - the first version sat on my usb for at least a month after I more or less finished it. After having a conversation with one of my readers whose name I can't remember right now but they know who they are I decided to try and change it around because I didn't like where it was going. Eventually I decided to keep the first half of the chapter and now, when I was supposed to be writing my speech for Tuesday, I managed to write version 2. Yes, it's been months since my last update, and no, I'm not sure when I'll be able to complete another chapter, but I do have another idea as to where it should go instead, so perhaps it won't be ending as soon as I originally thought. Also, thanks for the reviews that have come through during my absence, it's good to know that people are still finding it :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

Hiroshige stood silently, shell-shocked, at the odd group holed up in Ouri's apartment. The last 24 hours had been a ridiculous montage of one unimaginable thing after another, and he was simply getting dragged along by the flow. Despite his earlier protests he now knew that nothing he said or did would manage to make any difference. The Miyako he was faced with now was infinitely different to the Miyako who he went to school with. Death – although the thought made his skin crawl – apparently changed a person; changed their mentality, their survival instincts, their reactions. He couldn't be sure what exactly about her had been affected by her death and consequent revival – though he had to admit that suddenly finding yourself as one of the undead would be enough to mess with anyone's mind – but she was... stronger now. Had a stronger will. The sort of willpower that he had never possessed.

"Don't care for the mission…" Miyako was muttering to herself. "Are all monks as lax about the rules as you?" An incredulous look lifted her features from the darkness that had previously engulfed them. It was amazing to see, because with her expression light and carefree he could see just how tense she had really been. Her whole body had relaxed from the stiff way she had been holding herself as they all argued.

"Truthfully?" Yamada asked, moving to sit down on Ouri's couch. Miyako nodded enthusiastically and he laughed, again an oddly carefree emotion, this time from someone who could wield so much power over another person without outwardly showing any of it. "No. On a whole the members of the Kōgon sect would rather die than disobey direct orders. It's sort of ridiculous really. To them, it's almost as though being a monk mean becoming a mindless drone. Which is funny really, since normal monks generally preach about the gift of free will."

Hiroshige watched silently as a myriad of emotions danced across Miyako's face. Disappointment; anger; fear; anxiety; confusion; depression. He could tell what she was thinking about, it was the first time he had ever been able to read her thoughts in her expression. If 1% of the monks were like Yamada and the other 99% acted like Adachi then her life would be a living hell – no pun intended. They despised people like her – Hiroshige refused to think of her as anything other than human – so they would treat her like dirt. If that was the case wasn't it then better to just remain where she was?

The curious monk seemed to understand her inner dilemma as well, as he leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees as he stared across the room at Miyako. Makina huffed in irritation and stormed into the kitchen, one of the only other rooms in the apartment – if she went outside she would have to deal with Adachi.

"Adachi is not actually involved to any level with the Shikabane Hime, if the thought is bothering you. He just happened to be 'in the know', and the higher-ups are very astute about people not going alone on... ah... _retrieval_ missions such as this. They seem to fear that the shikabane we approach may get out of hand, and as such we would require assistance. Considering that most of the back-up partners they assign are essentially worthless," he purposefully raised his voice at that so that Adachi would be able to hear him from outside, "the idea is a pointless one, as they are unable to provide the sort of assistance one might require in the first place."

Startled Miyako glanced up, her gaze flicking to the front door momentarily before she started laughing. She got the feeling that Yamada would have been great friends with Keisei, were the man still alive. They were both surprisingly easy-going with the oddest sense of humour.

"That's a relief." She managed to choke out as she tried to calm herself down. Rubbing the back of her neck embarrassedly Miyako glanced out of the corner of her eye at Ouri. After her recent outburst turned accidental confession they hadn't exactly had a chance to talk, but she wasn't sure what she would say to him anyway. It was true what she had told him. She was dealing with it – never in a million years had she expected him to return her feelings, so ever since she realised her crush she had been trying to talk herself out of it. Nothing he might say to her would hurt in the way it might have if she ever thought she had a decent chance with him. The biggest problem was that she never managed to find anyone to transfer her attention to in order to allow her to move on, and now she never would.

As though sensing her eyes on him Ouri turned to her, offering up a cheery smile that did little to belay the distress and harder emotions that shone through in his eyes and body language. Shrugging it off she nodded slightly in his direction before turning her focus to Hiroshige. Her other friend had become rather silent, a torn, pensive expression painted across his face. Obviously the information overload was having a negative effect on his mood, but she supposed that it was to be expected.

"Makina, please come out of the kitchen." Miyako called softly to the older girl, quickly trying to decide what she ought to say as her parting words. Monk Yamada seemed to understand what it was that she was about to do and moved to stand beside the apartment door, out of the way and ready to leave when she was. The purple haired teen shot a glare in her direction as she re-entered the room, but that too had been expected.

"Ouri, brother mine," Miyako began, trying to word it in a way that would hopefully settle the issue from the previous day without actually bringing it up again in her farewell, "for the love of all things holy try not to get yourself killed assisting Makina." She clapped a hand on his shoulder and sent a firm look at Makina, silently willing her not to get him into trouble in the first place.

"I'll try my best." He promised, catching her gaze and pulling her in for a hug. For all he knew it could be the last time he ever saw her. In order to leave on good terms with one another he took her words for what they were, a sort of apology. Releasing her he allowed her to address her next warning to their classmate.

"Hiro, you are under no circumstances to go getting yourself in the middle of this," Miyako gestured vaguely at the other people gathered in Ouri's apartment – the monk and the shikabane hime, "sort of business for fear of your life. Don't think that I'm going to forgive you if die on me either."

"Yeah." Hiroshige croaked as she engulfed him in a tight embrace. She knew that the whole ordeal would be harder on him than on Ouri because he was a complete outsider to the situation. It wasn't fair for him to have to go through it all. Squeezing his shoulder as she let go Miyako took a few steps back and simply watched her two friends for a moment, trying to prolong the time before she had to leave. Taking a deep breath she looked up at Yamada before heading to the front door, opening it to the cursing voice of Adachi, whom she had almost forgotten about. Stepping around him she made her way down the stairs and out into the carpark.

Ignoring the heated glare Adachi was levelling on her Miyako turned around at the edge of the apartment complex and waved at her friends as they watched her leave from the balcony. Offering them up a weak smile she tried to give off a sense of confidence that she didn't exactly feel. Up ahead of her was a long road full of unknowns, and being unprepared had never been something she enjoyed.

The journey would be a long one, and she could only hope she would make it out in one piece at the other end.

_**La Fin.**_

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><p><strong>This chapter is sort of pitiful in my opinion, but I decided that I really wanted to get this out of the way before the new year. This isn't what you'll want to hear, but this is the end of this particular story. It doesn't necessarily have to end here though, I've simply run out of steam. This, my story, could be like, oh I don't know, <strong>_**Book 1: The beginning**_** or something like that. If someone thinks that they have an idea they can hash out into a sequel then by all means, hit me up and then go ahead, you have my permission. I'll be delighted to see what you come up with.**

**Until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and have a great New Year, and of course, thanks for reading :)**


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